It’s good to be the king

As the line from Mel Brook’s classic History of the World: Part 1 movie implies, “it’s good to be the king!” The benefits of unlimited power and wealth are so plentiful that even the crude simian prince, Hugo Chavez, has enough power in his underdeveloped and primitive brain to recognize it. The only problem with Venezuela’s self-appointed king enjoying the trappings of a monarch is that there are not supposed to be any kings in Venezuela.

However, Chavez’s limited intellect precludes his royal aspirations from being restrained by such pesky facts, so with a wave of his hand he proclaims royal edicts.

CARACAS – The businessmen in a building in the central part of the Venezuelan capital that was expropriated by decree by President Hugo Chavez abandoned their stores hurriedly with sadness and bitterness on Tuesday to avoid having their products and equipment confiscated.

“The only words we have on the part of the government are ‘expropriate it!’ Nothing more,” Rafael Garrido, who had run a jewelry store in the La Francia building for 50 years, told Efe as he removed the last of his merchandise from the shop just like other businessmen surprised by the unexpected presidential order.

The iconic building on the central Bolivar Square is one of four buildings ordered expropriated by Chavez on Sunday during his weekly television and radio program, proclaiming his intention to transform the zone into “a great historical center.”

On a tour of Caracas, the Venezuelan president asked Mayor Jorge Rodriguez what use was being made of certain buildings on the plaza, where the city’s main cathedral and offices of the Foreign Ministry are located, and the city official told him that they were occupied by a number of private businesses.

In response to that, Chavez exclaimed, “Expropriate it!”

You have to wonder: How much longer will the Venezuelan people allow themselves to become the serfs of a self-crowned king?

The only glimmer of hope I see left in Venezuela is the fact that Hugo Chavez is bankrupting the country on a much accelerated pace that Fidel Castro bankrupted Cuba.

This issue could turn the tables against Chavez because once he can no longer afford to bribe his supporters and the Armed Forces it will become very difficult for him to hold on to power.

As the Venezuelan utilities infrastructure (and the economy as a whole) collapses; and lacking enough monetary reserves to keep the country afloat, the tables could turn against him in a very ugly way and you’ll see many of his own supporters joining the opposition in revolting against his rule.

So the only hope in Venezuela is for the country to continue on the current path to economic collapse that Hugo Chavez has set the country as a consequence of his bonehead policies.